Capturing Index Usage Stats
Index usage stats are invaluable for evaluating performance of existing indexes. Every time an index is used by the query-engine, an internal table is updated reflecting that usage. So, every time a scan, seek, lookup,…
Hidden tables in SSMS: detect and create them!
Did you know hidden tables may be lurking in your database? SQL Server Management Studio is a world-class database management toolset, and includes some really great features. Arguably the most-used feature is the Object Explorer…
Modify device path for multiple Backup Devices
Backup Devices provide a nice way to permanently configure the backup location, enabling BACKUP DATABASE to look like: BACKUP DATABASE [xyz] TO [backup-device-name]; When you create a Backup Device, you specify the physical location where…
Common data-type conversions between SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase ASE, and DB2.
SQL Server includes a little-known, but handy, function that can show you the equivalent data type in a target system; useful for ETL between disparate systems. Run this code: DECLARE @source_dbms sysname = N’%’ ,…
Data Masking is not enough to protect personal information from prying eyes!
Data Masking is the process of either obfuscating or replacing personally identifying information with meaningless data that cannot be used to identify the items being masked. The data masking process is frequently used to alter…
Enumerating SQL Server instances on a remote Windows host
Programmatically enumerating a list of SQL Server instances from a remote Windows server can be challenging. If you have the Remote Registry activated, and know the name of the target server, you can fairly easily…
